The Russian Parliament has approved a new law that gives Vladimir Putin a broader legal basis to send the army beyond the country’s borders. The text allows Moscow to deploy forces abroad to “protect” Russian citizens who are detained, interrogated, prosecuted, or, according to Russian authorities, threatened by foreign states, international jurisdictions, or organizations of which Russia is not a member.
This decision has raised concerns in Europe, particularly in the Baltic countries, which have feared for several years being the next targets of Russian strategy. For Kiev and several European capitals, this text could be used as justification for new military operations, under the guise of defending Russians or Russian speakers outside of Russia.
The President of the Duma (the head of the lower house of the Russian Parliament), Vyacheslav Volodin, defended the law by accusing Western justice of becoming “a repressive machine” aimed at punishing decisions that do not align with European interests. According to him, in this context, Moscow must “do everything to protect its citizens abroad.” Vladimir Putin now has fourteen days to sign the text for it to take effect.
This logic echoes the arguments used by Moscow to justify the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Kremlin claimed at the time that it wanted to protect Russian speakers in Ukraine, portrayed as victims of discrimination by Kiev. Since then, Russia continues to demand the restoration of the status of the Russian language and the Russian Church in Ukraine as part of a potential peace agreement.
In Kiev, the reaction was immediate. The spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heorhii Tykhyi, denounced a decision that he described as “aggressive anarchy.” According to him, by giving Putin an almost unlimited right to use force abroad under the pretext of protecting its citizens, Russia is admitting that aggression has become a norm of its policy.
Even though the Kremlin probably does not need a formal text to act, this law serves as a major alarm signal for Russia’s neighbors.
